


Shall We Dance?

by Kitsune_Moonstar



Series: Shall We Dance? [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-30
Updated: 2012-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-30 08:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 13,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/329700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Moonstar/pseuds/Kitsune_Moonstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Shunsui Kyoraku is an experienced ice dancer with several world titles. The only thing he's missing is a trip to the Olympics. His problem? He doesn't have a partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dancing With Myself

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU and in honor of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

**Dancing With Myself**

Shunsui Kyoraku sighed as he absent mindedly watched the skaters on the ice. At twenty-eight, he was an experienced ice dancer with several national and world titles under his belt. The only thing he was really missing was a trip to the Olympics. And therein lay his current problem. It was going to be an Olympic year, and he had no partner. His partner of the past three years had retired last year and was now pregnant with her first child. And Shunsui hadn't been able to find a partner since Yoruichi had retired. Oh, there had been attempts, but there had been no one who had really clicked right with him.

He sighed again as he watched Rangiku Matsumoto work through her short program. Rangiku was one of the best ladies skaters they had this year. He frowned a little when he realized she was working on her arm movements with another woman. She was dark haired and petite and had lovely, fluid motions. Shunsui didn't recognize her, and he knew most of the skaters on the circuit no matter what event they competed in. He kept an eye on her as Rangiku continued practice. The woman, once done with Ran, seemed to me working on a program of her own.

The man sitting next to him seemed to notice his interest. "That's Nanao Ise. She's a dead weight I'm afraid. The girl can't jump at all, so she's useless in competition. The only reason she was picked up at all was the fact that her half-sister's Lisa Yadomaru. People were hoping that Ise would be another champion ladies skater like her, but she's been nothing but a disappointment. I'm not sure why they haven't just cut her loose at this point."

"I see." Shunsui frowned a little, keeping his opinions to himself.

He knew who Lisa Yadomaru was of course. She'd been the five time national champion and had only turned professional two years ago. Shunsui could see physical similarities between the two women, but their skating styles were quite different. Lisa was a jumping powerhouse while Nanao was extremely artistic in her programs. He continued to watch her practice. It was true that all of the jumps she attempted were singled or doubled. Actually, her managing a double anything was rare. But when it came to her footwork or spiral sequences, Nanao was amazing. Fluid, artistic, elegant, the woman was a born dancer.

Most everyone else had left by the time Rangiku started working on her exhibition routine. The music she had chosen was bright and bubbly and extremely well suited to Rangiku. When she finished running through that, Rangiku skated over to the sideboards were Nanao had been watching. Shunsui couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that Rangiku was trying to persuade Nanao of something. Nanao finally seemed to give in, and she joined Rangiku on the ice.

A minute later Dancing Queen was playing over the speakers. Rangiku and Nanao linked hands and began what was obviously a beginner's ice dance. It looked like the type of thing you learned in intermediate skating lessons. As Shunsui watched, it was clear where each woman's strengths were. Rangiku looked like a figure skater who was just playing around with someone else's ice dance routine. Nanao looked like an ice dancer. And Shunsui knew at that moment that he wanted her for his new partner. He didn't care how inexperienced she was or how little time they would have to get ready for this season's competitions. Nanao was the perfect choice.

Now all he had to do was convince her.


	2. It Takes Two to Tango

**It Takes Two to Tango**

Nanao sighed softly as she finished up her stretches. She was just about ready to actually get on the ice. It was something that she had almost been avoiding. As much as she loved to skate, these days getting on the ice was something of a challenge. She wouldn't give up on a career in figure skating just yet, but practice sessions could get rather depressing anymore. Her inability to jump consistently colored everything. Voices as she entered the main area of the rink caught her attention.

"Of course, I can introduce you. I think it's a great idea," Rangiku sounded delighted about something.

Nanao joined her friend rink side to find Rangiku chatting with a tall man she recognizes as Shunsui Kyoraku. Nanao had known that the ice danced trained here, but she couldn't remember seeing him before. Besides, his partner had retired last year, and Nanao wasn't sure who his new one was. Rangiku turned to her with a bright smile.

"Nanao, this is Shunsui Kyoraku. He has a request for you. Shunsui, this is Nanao Ise."

Nanao blinked a little. "Pleased to meet you. A request?"

Kyoraku nodded. "I want you to audition as my new partner."

"But I'm not an ice dancer," the words were out of her mouth before Nanao could think.

Kyoraku smirked. "Maybe not, sweetheart, but you move like one. How's this, you come skate one dance with me, and if you still don't think you should audition, I'll drop it."

She frowned at the endearment, but it was a fair proposal. "All right. I don't actually know more than a few ice dances though. I haven't practiced them in at least a year."

The man just laughed. "We'll stick to a waltz."

He held out a hand to her, and Nanao hesitantly took it. Kyoraku let her out onto the ice and let her get her legs under her a little before he gestured to Rangiku to start some music. A slow waltz began, and he led her into the steps of the dance. It didn't take Nanao long to remember her old lessons. It was surprisingly easy to follow Kyoraku through the steps of the dance, and he was nice enough to warn her before he did things like spin or dip her. When the music ended, they came to a stop in the center of the ice. Kyoraku grinned at her.

"Still think you're not an ice dancer, sweetheart?" He kept a hold of her hands. "Feel like working on that program a little? Rangiku said she'd keep your coach distracted."

So Nanao found herself spending the rest of her practice session working with Kyoraku on the waltz program. It was an interesting hour and a half. On the one hand, Kyoraku kept insisting on calling her things like sweetheart or precious. But on the other hand, he was incredibly patient in coaching her through the program adding in the spins and lifts that he had omitted on their first run through. It was different than what Nanao was used to, but she didn't find it all too hard to adjust. All in all, it was one of the better practice sessions she had had in ages. Kyoraku definitely gave her more praise than her coach had in years.

He came to sit next to her afterwards as they both were getting out of their skates.

"So, my darling Nanao, are you going to audition?"

She gave him a stern look. "It's just Nanao, and yes, I am."


	3. Some Days You Got to Dance

**Some Days You Got to Dance**

With the promise secured from Nanao that she would audition, Shunsui felt the need to get to know his new partner better. He had no doubt that once Jyuu saw her skate, his coach and chorographer would snap Nanao up as Shunsui's new partner in an instant. Therefore, it was in Shunsui's best interest to get to know Nanao a little more. They would be working closely together, and it would be easier if he could get her a little more comfortable interacting with him. Right now she was rather formal and stiff with him.

It took more effort than he expected to even get her to agree to let him buy her coffee at a nearby café. Shunsui noted with interested that Nanao ordered a tea latte instead of coffee. Getting her to actually participate in a conversation also took some effort. Shunsui got her started talking about skating though, and that worked rather well. Then he made the educated guess that she had taken dance lessons as well as skating lessons when she had been younger. (It was a fairly safe guess; most female skaters took dance lessons at some point.) That had gotten Nanao to talk about dancing, and it soon became clear that she loved dancing almost as much as she loved skating.

Somehow their discussion about dance led to the subject of literature, and Shunsui quickly discovered that he and Nanao had very similar tastes in books. As they discussed some of their favorite reads, Shunsui could clearly see the passionate young woman who lurked behind Nanao's rather serious façade. This was a delightful young woman that he would bet not many people ever got the chance to know. Or bothered to try and get to know for that matter.

That much was obvious to Shunsui. Nanao did not act like someone who was used to having friends. Shunsui would bet that Rangiku was the only one at the skating rink who really knew or was close to Nanao. Shunsui decided that at the very least he was going to make it his mission to befriend his new partner before the season was over. It was the least he could do. Because of Nanao, this year was definitely looking up. Shunsui had a new partner who could quite possibly be one of the best ice dancers he'd met and they had nearly a year to prepare for the Olympics. It was going to be a good time.


	4. Stepping Out With a Star

**Stepping Out With a Star**

Nanao was more than a little nervous when it actually came time for her to audition. There was a difference between playing at being an ice dancer and actually trying out as one. She might have actually backed out save for the fact that she had given her word, and Nanao kept her promises. Still the idea of running away from the audition was rather appealing. What had she been thinking when she agreed to this?

She arrived at the ice skating rink early and used the time to stretch and warm up as well as change into her regular practice gear. When she was finally ready, save for putting on her skates, Nanao took a deep breath and headed out of the locker room. By the side of the rink she found Kyoraku laughing with a man who had long silver hair. Nanao immediately recognized Jyuushiro Ukitake. He was considered to be one of the best and most innovated choreographers in the skating world. She hadn't realized that he also coached. The two of them were the only people at the rink besides the regular maintenance staff.

Kyoraku glanced over at her. "Ah, here she is. Nanao darling, this is Jyuushiro Ukitake. Jyuu, this is the young lady I was telling you about."

Nanao shot Kyoraku a half hearted glare for the endearment but shook Ukitake's hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Jyuushiro's fine, Nanao." He smiled at her. "Why don't you two head out on the ice to warm up, and then we can get this audition started."

Nanao nodded. It didn't take her or Kyoraku long before they were comfortable on the ice and ready to present the program that Kyoraku had worked with her on. The music started, and Nanao found herself relaxing. The waltz went fairly well to her mind. Nanao was fairly comfortable with most of the program, though she was a little stiff when it came to the lifts and the spins. They were still pretty unfamiliar territory for her. When the program finally ended, Nanao wasn't completely satisfied with her performance, but she was pleased with it. After all, she wasn't really an ice dancer.

She and Kyoraku skated back to the side of the rink to hear Ukitake's assessment. She found the man had a grin on his face.

"You've never trained as an ice dancer?" he asked her.

Nanao nodded, feeling more than a little uncertain. His grin widened.

"You were right, Shun. By the end of the season, you two are going to be one of the most talked about teams out there." Ukitake seemed to sense Nanao's confusion. "Congratulations, Nanao, and welcome to the team. I'll take care of the arrangements with your former coach. Now, let's get a tentative training schedule set up."

Shunsui beamed. Nanao found herself blushing, but she let the two men draw her into a discussion about when to schedule their practice sessions. Still, she was beginning to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.


	5. Dance With Me

**Dance With Me**

Shunsui was feeling pretty pleased with himself. Not only did he now have a partner, but they were only two weeks into training, and Nanao was already skating like she had been an ice dancer for years. Jyuu had started them out working on the compulsory dances for this season. The Golden Waltz had been easy enough for them, and they had simply needed to work on smoothing things out and perfecting the program. The Tango Romantica was proving a little more difficult for them, but Shunsui thought that was mostly because Nanao wasn't quite comfortable with him yet.

Jyuu was working on putting together their free dance and the original dance. They would probably start working on those in another two weeks. All in all, it was going pretty well. The one thing that Shunsui hadn't been able to figure out was Nanao's reactions to Jyuu's coaching. Whenever she made a mistake, she seemed to expect to be raked over the coals. In fact, Nanao was surprisingly timid when it came to voicing just about anything to Jyuu. She had no problems telling Shunsui when he was annoying her or doing something wrong.

It made Shunsui wonder just what had been going on with her previous coach. Nanao reacted like she had been bullied rather than coached. The fact that she couldn't seem to jump wasn't an excuse. He and Jyuu were going to have to find some way to overcome that. Nanao needed to be a full partner in the team, and she couldn't do that if she was afraid of Jyuu's reactions to her input. Still, things were going pretty well. Nanao was natural on the ice, and her reserved personality hid a spitfire.

Nanao didn't let him get away with anything. She didn't fall at his feet or flirt with him at the drop of the hat. Shunsui had been a star of the skating circuit for a while now, and most women he met put time and effort into trying to snare him. Nanao was a refreshing change. She was also smart and witty. In some many ways, she was exactly what Shunsui looked for in a partner. And while Nanao might not believe that she was pretty, her understated elegance was really quite lovely.

Shunsui was more than satisfied with his new partner. To tell the truth, she was quite possibly the best partner he'd ever had, and he had gone through quite a few over the course of his career. Nanao was incredibly in sync with him, both on the ice and creatively. There was a rightness when he skated with her that Shunsui had never found with any other partner. Nanao was one of the most fascinating and lovely women he had ever met, and Shunsui knew that he had gotten more attached to her than he normally did with a partner. He wanted her as his friend too at the very least. At the very most, Shunsui wanted more than he could currently put in words.


	6. Let's Dance

**Let's Dance**

Nanao stepped onto the ice with a smile and started making a slow circuit of the rink, warming up her legs. She was feeling pretty good about her skating so far. She and Shunsui had mastered their two compulsory dances and now were simply working on polishing them. However, today Jyuushiro was going to have them start working on their original dance. Jyuu hadn't told either of them much about it so far. Nanao knew that this year's rhythm was either folk or country, but Jyuu had been rather closed mouthed about what he had planned.

Shunsui joined her on the ice, and Nanao easily fell into sync with him. They skated part of the Golden Waltz before coming to a stop in front of their coach. Jyuushiro grinned at them.

"All right, you two. I think I've got something for you that will be pretty unique and be fun to perform. So I went with Cajun for the music selection and for inspiration for the dance. I'll play you the music, and then we can get to work."

The song was bright and bouncy, and Nanao found herself tapping her feet to it. The lyrics were good too and didn't seem to detract from the music. It was going to be fun to skate to, but it was also faster than anything she and Shunsui had skated to so far. Still, Nanao was more than willing to give it a try. Jyuushiro started them walking through the program. To go with the music, he had choreographed a dance with the theme of a flirtatious man and a woman playing hard to get. It rather suited the two of them.

The two-step was the major dance move featured in the program, though Jyuushiro had combined a number of things to make for a very fast paced and intricate dance that mirrored something you might find at a party in New Orleans. Nanao liked it. It was definitely going to be a challenge, but she liked it for the most part. As she and Shunsui walked through the entire thing once though, she noticed that there was one particular transition that seemed to trip them up. They had trouble with it when they had practiced just that particular section of the dance as well.

So when they took a moment to get and give feedback with their coach, Nanao found herself speaking up.

"What if we switched the order of that footwork sequence and the lift? Musically, it would make sense too since that would put the lift during that bridge instead of the instrumental part."

Their coach considered it. "Give it a try and see how it works. It sounds like a good plan though. I'll cue up the music."

As it turned out, that sequencing did work much better. Shunsui grinned at her.

"Nice work, Nanao."

"And you didn't think you knew anything about ice dancing," Jyuushiro teased. "You two are going to make me the envy of every other coach. Not only can you skate, but you can contribute to the artistic process."

Nanao blushed, but she could help the warm feeling that settle in her chest.


	7. Magic Dance

**Magic Dance**

Jyuushiro Ukitake was a very happy man right now. He had always enjoyed his work both as a coach and as a choreographer, but he'd never had this much fun with it or had such a great team to work with. Shunsui had always been a great ice dancer, but in combination with Nanao Ise, he was fantastic. Nanao herself was amazing. For someone who had never ice danced outside of basic skating lessons, she was doing extremely well. It was hard to tell that she hadn't spent years training as an ice dancer. And the way she moved with Shunsui was nothing short of breathtaking. They looked like they had been a team for years when they danced together.

They were definitely a team that could go places, and Jyuu was going to make sure that that happened. He had decided that since these two were his, he was going to showcase their talents this year. Jyuu had completely disregarded a number of trends in ice dance this year when he had created their original and free dances. He wanted dances that Shunsui and Nanao would enjoy doing and feel at home with, not things that matched popular expectations. Playing upon the chemistry the two had, both programs were fairly romantic in theme. The original dance had Shunsui and Nanao flirting back and forth with one another while their free dance was more of a traditional courtship, save for the fact that Nanao was doing the courting.

Both pieces played to the two ice dancer's strengths. While he had yet to see either of the pieces performed in entirety by the pair, Jyuu could already see the original dance beginning to take shape in their practices. They had at least another three months before they had to start worrying about competing. By then, Jyuushiro was sure that the pair would have all of the programs down, if not completely fine tuned. They would need to start thinking about costumes soon. Thankfully, he knew someone who would be willing to design them some unique costumes. Costume design might be Retsu's hobby rather than her occupation, but she was good at what she did. And she had been looking for a new project lately.

So, really, they were in pretty good shape. Jyuushiro was looking forward to the first competitions of the year. Shunsui and Nanao were going to turn heads. They might not be the most technically proficient skaters at this point in the game, but there was something about the way they danced on the ice that caught your attention and drew you in. It was almost magical. And Jyuushiro was sure that these two were going to cast their spell on more than just himself.


	8. Down at the Twist and Shout

**Down at the Twist and Shout**

Nanao was humming to herself as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail in the locker room. She normally wore it pinned up in a bun, but Jyuushiro had suggested she wear it in a tail for their original dance. Currently, Nanao had the song for the original dance stuck in her head. It was a great piece of music, but she would prefer not find herself humming it at all hours of the day. She was just finishing putting her street clothes in her locker when the ladies skaters who had been practicing came in.

Rangiku grinned at Nanao, but the other two skaters were more smug than anything else. Nanao ignored them. She had never really gotten along with Tia Hallibel or Nelliel Odelschwanck when they had shared the same coach. She didn't expect that to change now either.

"You're still here?" Hallibel's tone was snide. "I thought you had finally seen the light and thrown in the towel. So what poor coach are you inflicting yourself on now?"

Nanao's own tone was cool. "Mr. Ukitake took me on since he thought I would be a worthwhile ice dancer to coach."

She reached for her water bottle and skates. She really wasn't feeling like hanging out in the locker room any longer. Shunsui would be running late as usual, but at least she could get out on the ice and practice some on her own. Nanao wasn't completely confident in her abilities as an ice dancer quite yet. It wasn't that she was struggling with the ice dancing, so much as it was the fact that just about everyone else in the field had a great deal more experience than she did.

"So how long will be before he decides you're useless? You should have just gotten out of the sport all together."

Nanao ignored the comment. She knew it wasn't true. And given the fact that she was the one recruited rather than her going to Jyuushiro and asking to be taken on, Nanao rather doubted that they were going to get rid of her anytime soon. Both Shunsui and Jyuushiro seemed quite pleased with her skating, and Nanao used that as a shield against the nasty comments. Rangiku, on the other hand, bristled. Nanao smiled at her friend and shook her head. Rangiku didn't need to get into a fight over her. She and Hallibel had always been rivals, and it wouldn't take much for them to get into it with one another.

Before things could really get started though, someone rapped on the locker room door.

"Nanao? Are you ready? I know it's early, but apparently Jyuu decided that we need to start working on the free dance today too. As a reward for all our hard work so far." Nanao could hear him rolling his eyes.

"Coming," she called back. "Excuse me."

Nanao couldn't help the smile on her face as she headed out to the ice rink. Hallibel and Odelschwanck could think what they wanted. She knew better, and some people clearly thought that she was a decent skater.


	9. Going to Dance to a Band from Louisiana Tonight

**Going to Dance to a Band from Louisiana Tonight**

As it turned out, Jyuushiro started them off with working on the free program. Mostly, he just wanted to get them started working some of the more difficult parts of the program. Once he was satisfied that they at least had a basic grasp on those, he moved them back to working on the original dance. Nanao knew that at this point what their coach was looking for was consistency on the original dance and what bits might need fine tuning or polishing. During their third run through of the program, Nanao noticed the dark haired woman sitting with just behind their coach and watching them.

Jyuushiro called a break, and she and Shunsui headed over to the boards. Shunsui grinned at the dark haired woman, and Nanao felt something in her chest clench.

"Hey, Retsu. I didn't expect to see you here."

The woman, Retsu, stood and leaned against the boards. "Jyuu wants me to do your costumes, and I have been looking for a new project. I take it this is your new partner?"

Shunsui wrapped his arm around Nanao's shoulder making her start a little. "This is my Nanao, yes. Nanao-love, this is Retsu Ukitake. She's a pediatrician but does costume design as a hobby. Remember, the costume Ichigo and Rukia wore at Junior Worlds when they won? Those were Retsu's designs."

She indeed remembered the fabulous costumes the pairs skaters had worn. But what really registered first was that this was their coach's wife, and that some how made her feel much better.

"Pleased to meet you."

"It's lovely to meet you, dear. I've been hearing Jyuu talk about you for ages it seems now. How are you enjoying ice dancing?"

Nanao found herself easily drawn into conversation with Retsu, and the two women were soon discussing the various programs that Shunsui and Nanao were working. Retsu apparently wanted a better understanding of the programs in order to help her design their costumes. After about ten minutes, they got back to work for another half hour. Nanao soon found herself two-stepping across the ice and swinging to the music. Something about the program had finally clicked for her, and Nanao found herself being able to focus more on the expression of the program rather than the technical elements. She was pretty happy with that. She had known the program before, but now she was really beginning to feel confidant about it.

When practice was over, Shunsui suggested the four of them go out to dinner in order to discuss both their costumes and what came next for the skaters. Nanao found herself agreeing. It wasn't long before the four of them were seated in a cozy little restaurant. Nanao felt a little out of place as it was clear that Shunsui, Jyuushiro, and Retsu had known each other for years. Still, both Retsu and Shunsui drew her into the conversation, and Nanao soon found herself relaxing. Most of the discussion centered on the two skaters.

Jyuushiro was pretty pleased with how they were doing. They had fine tuning to do and to finish learning their free dance, but he felt they were progressing at good rate. He also thought they should start thinking about which competitions they wanted to enter. The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was coming up in a few months. That seemed awfully quick to Nanao. The other thing Jyuu was considering was putting together an exhibition program for the pair. That seemed a little like counting your chickens before they hatched to Nanao. To need an exhibition program, you had to do fairly well in a competition. Then again, it would be embarrassing if they did suddenly need an exhibition program and didn't have one.

It wasn't at all how Nanao had expected the months going into the skating season to go. Then again, she hadn't expected to take up ice dancing either. Still, she really wasn't ready to start thinking about competition yet. But she had to admit, it was going to be an interesting season.


	10. You Learn to Dance With Your Rock and Roll

**You Learn to Dance With Your Rock and Roll**

They slide across the ice together in synchronization with the music. The two skaters were close enough to reach out and touch one another if they chose. Jyuushiro smiled as he watched them work on the twizzle sequence. Watching Shunsui and Nanao together, most people would assume that they had been partners for years. It was a little uncanny at times just how in tune to Shunsui Nanao was. Not that Jyuu minded. He could do things with their choreography that typically only worked with experienced couples.

They were doing quite well. Nanao and Shunsui had mastered all of their program save for their exhibition number, and now were seriously fine tuning and polishing their performance. Retsu would have the first of their costumes ready by next week. In truth, they were getting to the point where the pair wasn't going to be able to continue moving forward until they started competing. Jyuushiro had started looking into which competitions he could enter them in. They would definitely take part in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, but he wanted them to have some competition experience before that as well.

Competition was the big unknown at this point. Jyuu basically knew how Shunsui would react to just about any given situation in competition after all these years of being his coach, but he had no idea how Nanao would take competition. Given her history, Jyuushiro expected to have had her share of bad experiences with competitions. It was a little worrisome, but he would have to trust that she could handle the stress. Shunsui did seem especially attuned to Nanao's moods, so hopefully he would spot it early if she started to be affected by stress.

As Shunsui and Nanao smoothly transitioned into a lift, Jyuushiro took the opportunity to consider the dynamic of this partnership versus Shunsui's earlier ones. It was different, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The best way to describe this current partnership was that Shunsui was more personally interested in Nanao than had he had been with his other partners. On the surface, one might not notice it. He teased Nanao constantly, always trying to ruffle her feathers. He also flirted with her, something she either ignored or got irritated about. But underneath that, Jyuu had noticed his friend paying very close attention to his partner.

Shunsui had been very quietly and very carefully working on building Nanao's confidence. She had come along way from when she had first auditioned both skill wise and in the way she was willing to interact with them both. Nanao now was comfortable giving her opinion on various parts of their programs and offering both complaints and advice. When she had started working with Shunsui, it had been like pulling teeth trying to get her to speak up on those matters. Shunsui was also rather protective of her. Jyuu had noticed that right off the bat. He wondered if his friend actually realized what he was doing. But if any man showed interest in Nanao, Shunsui immediately started giving off signals that said 'back off, the lady is taken'.

It was clear to Jyuu at least that Shunsui was falling for his partner. He wasn't sure if Shunsui had realized it yet, but all the signs were there. It would be interesting to watch. Shunsui had never really seriously fallen in love before, and as long as it didn't affect their partnership negatively, Jyuushiro was all for it. Nanao was exactly the type of woman that Shunsui needed. Now the real question was how long it was going to take either of them to figure out what was going on?


	11. So She Dances

**So She Dances**

Nanao did her best not to fidget as Retsu made final adjustments to the costume. The other woman had invited her over this afternoon for tea and to finish fitting the costumes. There were five costumes in all, one for each program including both of the compulsory dance options. Nanao had tried to protest the extravagance of it, but Retsu had insisted that she had simply been inspired. And there really wasn't anything that Nanao could do except accept the generosity.

She had to admit that these were the nicest skating costumes she had ever own. All five of them were lovely, and Nanao would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. She could probably do without the costume for the free dance; it was a little too pink for her tastes. Still she had to admit that it was rather cute. Nanao was fairly certain she was going to look like a preppy high school student, but then, that did work with their free dance. The costume consisted of a grey skirt and a white top with a pink argyle sweater vest. There even was a matching headband to go with the outfit.

The original dance costume was much bolder and simpler in contrast. The skirt was knee length and a deep russet color while the top was cream. A wide sash of brown fabric shot with gold threads brought them together. It did look rather folksy which was what it was trying to evoke. There was even a ribbon for her ponytail that matched the sash. Retsu was clearly very thorough when it came to details. That was clear from all the costumes.

The compulsory dance costumes each reflected the dance that they were for. The costume for the Tango Romantica for example was a long black halter top with sharp, bold lines. The detail work was done in crimson, though the tiny roses would only show when the hem of the skirt flared in the spins and twizzles. The costume for the Golden Waltz on the other hand was light and airy and a shade of peach that Nanao immediately fell in love with. The exhibition costume was the same color, and if Nanao had to choose a favorite, that would be it.

It mimicked a ball gown in style. The front of the skirt was knee length, but the back was a tapered train that would fall just short of her skates. The accent colors were gold and rose. The costume was a little old fashioned in looks, but that was all right. The music for their exhibition piece evoked a sense of the old big band despite the undertone of Latin rhythms it had. Retsu hadn't quite finished the hair piece that went with the costume, but Nanao had no doubt it would be lovely.

And as nice as the costumes were, they did mean that Nanao was one step closer to competition. She didn't know how she felt about that. On the one hand, her practices were going very well, and Nanao felt like she was skating better than she ever had before. But Nanao also remembered very well what completion was like, especially when you didn't do well. Nanao took a deep breath, trying to calm her sudden onset of nervous. She would deal with whatever happened. She couldn't back out now. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did, and it would disappoint Shunsui. She could do this.


	12. Dance With Me Tonight

**Dance With Me Tonight**

Shunsui rest a soothing hand between Nanao's shoulder blades. His partner was incredibly tense right now, and as they would be heading onto the ice in less than five minutes, he wanted her to relax some. Being this tense wouldn't help her performance on the ice any. They were going into the original dance at their first major competition of the season. Yes, they had competed in a number of regional, and even one national, competitions before this, but this was their first international competition, and it was clear that Nanao was worried.

He saw no reason for her to be. After their compulsory dance, the two of them were ranked third. That really wasn't bad. They hadn't competed internationally before and all of the other pairs in the competition had far more experience as a team than the two of them did. Shunsui was quite pleased. They did have a few things to work on that he had noticed so far, but then, this was their first international competition. They had plenty of time to fix mistakes and improve. Besides, it wasn't like any one even expected them to do well other than themselves and Jyuu. Shunsui had caught a little of the media coverage. He and Nanao were going to show up if they needed to fill time. The commentators had dismissed their chances of being anything important for this competition or the season really.

Shunsui rather hoped that Nanao hadn't caught that. He happened to disagree with that assessment, and he and Nanao would prove it. But first they would have to figure out a way to get Nanao over her bout of nerves. Shunsui leaned in closer so he could whisper in her ear.

"Nanao, precious, I'll make you a deal. We finish in the top seven, and you come out with me tonight and let me buy you a drink."

His flirting caused the indignant exasperation that he was hoping for. When Nanao was focused on restraining her urge to smack him, she wasn't being nervous. And the announcer chose the next moment to call them out onto the ice. As they took up their positions, Nanao shot him a venomous glare. Shunsui just grinned. Riling her up would not affect her skills on the ice. In fact, sometimes it improved them.

The music began to play over the speakers, and they began to move across the ice, easily caught up in the music and one another.


	13. Carry On Dancing

**Carry On Dancing**

They ended up finishing just off the podium. Fourth place was very good. Out of the ten teams that had competed at the Grand Prix of France, Shunsui and Nanao were the only ones who hadn't been together for at least two years. Shunsui was more than happy with the results. They were going to improve them by the end of the season, but it wasn't a bad place to start. Though they were going to have to figure out what to do about Nanao's tendency to get tense and nervous just before they went out on the ice.

Shunsui idly tapped his foot as he waited for his partner to finish changing into street clothes. He had plans to take her out for a nice dinner and celebrate their first international competition. He did have an ulterior motive for this. Shunsui had some suspicions about why she had gotten so tense just before they got out on the ice, and he'd like to get them confirmed. If only so he could keep them from happening again. Besides, Shunsui had gotten Nanao a little something to commemorate the occasion. Yes, they had competed before, but this was their first big competition together and Nanao's first appearance on the international circuit as his partner.

Nanao appeared moments later, and Shunsui whisked her off before she could protest.

"Have you been to Paris before, sweetheart?"

Nanao shook her head. Shunsui just grinned.

"I know the perfect place for dinner then."

"Don't we need to meet with Jyuushiro to go over our competition performance?"

Shunsui shook his head. "Nah. You heard Jyuu. We had no major errors, and anything else that needs to be dealt with he'll bring up at our neck practice. He probably wants to try and get a copy of any video there was in order to actually show any minor problems."

Nanao seemed to accept that, and Shunsui swept her off and hailed a taxi. It didn't take them long to reach Shunsui's favorite restaurant. It wasn't perhaps the fanciest or perhaps the finest place in Paris, but the food was great and the atmosphere was relaxed. Shunsui waited until after they had both ordered before producing the little box with a pink ribbon.

"This is for you, sweetheart. In honor of our first big competition."

Nanao blinked. "But we didn't even win a medal, and I'm not your sweetheart."

Shunsui just smiled. "Precious, we beat out six other teams who all had more experience for fourth place, and it was our first major competition together. That's not a bad start. No one expected us to do that well. Open your present."

She rolled her eyes at the endearment, but his partner began to carefully open the little package. She was far more careful of the ribbon than he would have been. But Nanao finally got the box open and lifted out the necklace Shunsui had picked out for her. It was simple silver chain that was fairly short in length. On it hung two silver charms with white enamel: a pair of figure skates. It had seemed like a fitting gift for Nanao, and he had wanted two charms since they were a team after all.

Her smile was really breathtaking at times. Shunsui didn't know why more people weren't aware of just how lovely a person Nanao was.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

She kicked him under the table. Shunsui just laughed and proceeded to challenge her to see which of them had the silliest competition story.


	14. I'm Just Happy to Dance With You

**I'm Just Happy to Dance With You**

Nanao and Shunsui ended the Grand Prix of Figure Skating by tying for second place at the NHK Trophy. The commentators had called it a fluke, but Nanao couldn't help but feel pretty pleased with it. It was her best finish at a competition in years. And it helped that neither her partner nor her coach were too uptight about competitions. If there were errors, and there had been few, Jyuushiro would go over them at their next practice. He would also point out what they did well and offer praise. Her old coach had never done that. Any error in her program led to lectures and scoldings immediately after the competition, and given that Nanao wasn't able to jump successfully, it had been a frequent thing.

But that was in the past. Jyuushiro was rather heavy on the praise and gentle when he pointed out errors. Nanao had stopped mental cringing and dwelling on it every time she made a mistake. Which she had to admit wasn't often. She and Shunsui were still perfecting their programs, but that mostly had more to do with artistry than with technical elements. Technically, they were quite solid these days, and that had been reflected in their marks. Nationals would be their real test though. That competition would give the pair a better idea of how they stacked up against the other ice dance teams from their own country. They had only ever competed against one of them before, and the other team had beaten them.

But Nanao really didn't want to think about Nationals which was fast approaching. She had been before, and she had some very bad memories of Nationals. While the young woman knew that this year was going to be different, she still wasn't looking forward to it. The international competitions weren't that bad. For the most part they were with a mix of skaters, and not many of them knew Nanao. That wasn't the case at Nationals. Nationals would be full of people who knew her and knew her history. Not everyone would make snide comments, but some of them would. Nanao tried not to let it bother her. It happened every year.

Instead, Nanao focused on the skating. She knew that there was no way for her to match the other ice dancers in experience, so she just focused on knowing her programs was well as she could and putting her whole self into the interpretation. Nanao had found that as much as she had loved figure skating before, ice dancing was something she completely adored. Nanao wasn't sure if it was the fact that she had nothing looming over her like her inability to jump or it was simply the sheer fun of ice dancing. Out on the ice was one of the few places were Nanao felt the most like herself and the most content.

She didn't entirely feel ready for Nationals, but then again, she knew that she never would. She would just have to go and do her best anyway. At least this year Nanao knew that whatever happened she wouldn't have to face it alone.


	15. Another Dance

**Another Dance**

Shunsui found his partner at the skating rink, sitting in what would be the kiss and cry area in two days and staring out at the ice. They had arrived in town yesterday for Nationals. The competition wouldn't start for another two days, but Jyuu believed in giving them time to recovery from travel and get used to the rink. Shunsui settled next to Nanao, quietly handing her the tea latté he had brought for her. Their practice didn't actually start for another twenty minutes, but he knew that Nanao liked to come early to get into the right frame of mind.

"I've skated here before, you know," Nanao's voice was soft. "That was three years ago. My first Nationals in the senior division. I came in fifteenth out of nineteen. Most of my point deductions were because of falls on jumps. My artistic marks weren't good enough to make up for that. It wasn't exactly a promising start."

He sipped his own coffee. Shunsui wasn't quite sure what to say. It was rather unlike Nanao to offer up personal information like that, and she definitely did not like to show people her vulnerable side. But he knew that this time would be different. For one thing, Nanao had really found her calling with ice dancing. It suited her far better than being a singles skater did and that showed. It also helped that she now had a supportive coach and more confidence herself. Your first Nationals in the senior division was always rather intimidating.

"You've come a long way since then," he finally offered.

Nanao nodded. "You're right."

Silence descended once again, and Shunsui contemplated the ice in front of them. He had plans for the upcoming competition. He planned on them being on the podium for one thing. He also planned on them making the Olympic team. He hadn't exactly shared those plans with Nanao though. For one thing, they would probably make her more nervous about the whole competition. For another thing, Shunsui did not want Nanao to blame herself if they didn't succeed in those plans. Shunsui doubted that would happen, but Nanao had the tendency to take the blame when things went wrong, even if they really were out of her control.

He honestly believed that they could do extremely well in this competition, and when they did so, it would definitely boost Nanao's confidence. They would need that going into the Olympics. But one step at a time. He grinned at Nanao.

"Feel up for some practice?"

She smiled back. "Sure."

It didn't take either of them long to don practice clothes and get out on the ice. No one else was scheduled to use it right now, and Shunsui figured that if anything would relax Nanao and get her feeling more at ease it would be skating. Nanao had no problems once they were on the ice. It was off the ice when she started to worry and doubt herself. Shunsui had put on the music for their compulsory dance, and moments later the two of them were gliding across the ice in the Golden Waltz. Shunsui was rather pleased that it had been chosen for their compulsory dance at Nationals. Nanao was far more comfortable with it than she was with the Tango Romantica, though she could perform both equally well. But there was something nice about having the preferred dance being the one you were being judged on.

Shunsui easily lost himself in the music and his partner. There was something about skating with Nanao that made it almost effortless to block out everything except her and the dance they were skating. As the music came to a close, and the two skaters stood frozen for a moment in their ending pose. Then Shunsui grinned at Nanao. They were most definitely ready.


	16. Define Dancing

**Define Dancing**

Nanao's fingers fiddled with her necklace while she waited for the announcer to call her and Shunsui on to the ice. The little figure skates made for a good way to keep her hands occupied. She was trying not to think about the fact that she would be skating in just a few minutes. She was more nervous than she liked, and she was trying not to show it. Nanao didn't think she was going that good a job of that as Shunsui rest his hand at the small of her back and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"You're going to do just fine, sweetheart."

Before she had a chance to remind the man once again that she was not his sweetheart, their names were announced, and the two ice dancers took their positions on the ice. The music began, and Nanao didn't blank out exactly, but her world narrowed to the music and Shunsui. She only really became aware of everyone else when the music ended with Shunsui bent over her hand as if to kiss it.

Nanao was a little startled about all the applause they were getting, but she took her bows with Shunsui before they skated over to the kiss and cry area. As they pulled their blade guards on, the little girls who picked up the flowers and toys thrown into the rink deposited an astonishing amount of the things next to the ice dancers. Shunsui just grinned and handed Nanao a teddy bear. Clearly he was used to this.

Her heart was in her throat as she waited for their marks. It seemed to take forever for the judges to mark them. Shunsui and Jyuushiro seemed calm enough. Nanao actually squeaked when the marks were finally announced. They were currently in first place with a five point lead over everyone else. There were still five more couples to skate, but still, a five point lead was nothing to sneeze at.

Shunsui beamed at her, and Nanao couldn't help grinning back. Now they just had to get through the original dance and the free dance. Still, it wasn't a bad start at all.


	17. Dancing Through Life

**Dancing Through Life**

By the end of the compulsory dance, Nanao and Shunsui were in second place, though they only trailed the pair in first by one point. It was better than Nanao thought they would do. The original dance would not be until the next afternoon, and Nanao was determined not to worry about it. She went out to dinner with Shunsui, Retsu, and Jyuushiro which was a great deal of fun. Afterwards, the four of them meandered around the downtown area of the city for about an hour in search of someplace good to get dessert. What they finally settled on was a little pastry shop that had some very interesting cakes.

Nanao found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep that night, and when she woke the next morning, the young woman felt more than ready to face the day. Of course, given the early hour, she doubted her partner was awake yet. So Nanao got dressed and treated herself to a nice breakfast at the little café across the street from their hotel. By the time she was done, Nanao had just enough time for a quick shower and picking up a chai latte before their practice slot. She was first one of their group there, and Nanao quickly changed into her costume and went out to finish her tea while she waited for Shunsui and Jyuushiro.

Her partner and her coach showed up within ten minutes, and the three of them got down to work. While they probably didn't need to practice, it was habit at this point, and Nanao found it soothing. Besides, their original dance was probably Nanao's favorite out of all their programs. It felt good to go through the program the entire at least once. When it came time for their warm up before they skated, Nanao knew there wouldn't be time to skate through the entire thing.

After practice, Shunsui insisted on taking her out to lunch before they have to come back for the actual competition. He dragged her off to some little hole in the wall restaurant that Nanao's never heard of, but the food was absolutely delicious. Shunsui engaged her in a debate about favorite books, and they arrive back at the skating rink before Nanao can think about it or start to get nervous. They have fifteen minutes to change into their costumes before the competition starts. Of course, the two of them are in the final flight of skaters, so it will be a while before they actually skate.

She spent her time waiting with her ipod and mentally running through the program. Ten minutes before their warm is set to start Shunsui joined her, and the two of them work through the entrances and exits of the lifts in their program. Nanao had never really liked warm ups all that much. There was something a little uncomfortable about sharing the ice with several other teams, and she always had to keep an eye out for who was skating near them rather than being able to concentrate completely on her skating. Still, it gave her a feel for the ice and got her muscles warmed up before she skated.

They were the second to last pair in the final flight which meant more waiting, but at least the original dances couldn't be longer than two and a half minutes. So each team took about five to seven minutes all together if you counted the time it took for the judges to score them and announce their marks. She hadn't really felt nervous until this moment. Nanao reached for her necklace, trying to calm herself. Shunsui reached for her free hand.

"Ready, precious?"

She nodded, and the announcer called their names. It was time to skate.


	18. Out In the Middle of a Big Dance Floor

**Out In the Middle of a Big Dance Floor**

Nanao took up her position on the ice and settled into character for the original dance. The idea of the dance was to have her and Shunsui flirting back and forth with one another. Both the music and the dance reflected that. Jyuushiro had chosen a live recording of the song which really brought out the Cajun flavor of the music. The music was a little faster than what most of the other ice dancers had been skating to, and no one else in the competition was using Cajun music. A few pairs had chosen country music for their original dance, but most of the ice dancers had chosen folk dances from other countries as their original dance. As the opening strains of Down at the Twist and Shout began to play, Nanao picked up the rhythm. She winked at Shunsui, and their program began.

As they two stepped across the ice, Nanao let herself get caught up in the fun and energy of the music. This was her favorite of their programs, and she hoped it showed in the way she skated it. It certainly felt like a good skate to her as she and Shunsui entered the synchronized twizzles section. Shunsui was close enough to her that they could touch if either of them extended their arms, and it was easy enough for them to transition from the twizzles into the next dance spin. Some part of Nanao's brain noted the fact that they were already halfway through the original dance.

They had one last dance lift before the final segment of the dance, and before she knew it, Nanao was standing breathless grinning at Shunsui in their final pose. The two of them took their bows amidst the applause before skating over to the kiss and cry area where Jyuushiro was waiting for them. The two men bumped fists while Nanao got a hug before they settled down to wait for the score. It didn't take too long, but it was still long enough to make Nanao fidget. When they were announced though, Nanao's eyes lit up, and she impulsively kissed Shunsui's cheek. They were in the top spot again, and there was only one more pair to skate. Now, they had been the leaders after the compulsory dance, but still, the worst Nanao and Shunsui could do was come in second now.


	19. We Can Go Dancing

**We Can Go Dancing**

At the end of the original dance segment of Nationals, Shunsui and Nanao were in first place. Now, they were only leading by a point and a half, but they were still leading. Shunsui was very pleased with their standing. Tomorrow would tell them who would win Nationals, but there were two Olympic spots, and with their showing so far, Shunsui was pretty sure that they had landed at least one of the. Rangiku had stolen his partner for the rest of the afternoon, so Shunsui was left to his own devices.

What Shunsui kept going back over in his mind was the moment Nanao had kissed his cheek. He knew it was an unconscious gesture on Nanao's part (she would probably talk herself out of such a gesture if she thought about it), but it was a little astounding to him just how much that little gesture meant to him. How much his partner meant to him. He'd wanted Nanao as a friend from the start, but Shunsui was beginning to realize that he wanted her as more than just his friend and skating partner. He'd been attracted to some of his skating partners before, but it had never been like this.

Unfortunately for him, the middle of a National competition was not exactly the best place to explore newfound romantic feelings. Besides, Shunsui knew Nanao. He'd have to take things slow with her or he would scare her off. What this really called for was a plan of some sort. And so Shunsui started plotting out just how to go about romancing his Nanao which kept him busy until Rangiku called in order to insist he join her and Nanao for dinner. Though as it turned out, it was more like, her, Nanao, and nearly a dozen other skaters. But it was a fun dinner, and they could all use a break from the competition.

Rangiku had assembled an interesting group. Ichigo and Rukia were pairs skaters, and this was their first year of senior competition, though they had won Junior World's last year. Toushiro and Momo were also in the pairs competition, and they'd been skating together since Momo was six and Toushiro was five. Yachiru and Kiyone were both junior ladies skaters. Neither of them would be competing in the senior division for another two years. With them came their coach, who was also Yachiru's father, and Yumichika, who was their choreographer. Ikkaku was a men's skater who was also coached by Kenpachi. The men's field was actually quite well represented at dinner. Besides, Ikakku, there was also Uryuu Ishida, who was making his debut in the senior division this year, Renji, and Gin. Gin's presence was not a surprise to Shunsui despite the fact that the man wasn't exactly known for being sociable. He was Rangiku's best friend after all. Tatsuki, a ladies' skater, rounded out the group.

They had pushed together a bunch of tables in the back of the restaurant and spent the meal laughing and trading stories. Everything from the worst costumes they had ever had to wear to travel horror stories to childhood adventures. It was good to see Nanao relaxed and enjoying herself with other skaters. Shunsui didn't see her interact with them much, and the few interactions he had seen weren't exactly polite. At least not from the other skaters. Nanao could be chillingly polite when she felt like it.

Shunsui had to give Rangiku credit though. This probably was a very good way to keep Nanao entertained and distracted. Nanao tended to worry about things if she wasn't, and while his partner had been thrilled about their standing earlier, Shunsui knew that if she had time to really think about it, she was going to start doubting herself and worrying. Tomorrow would come, and there wasn't really anything they could do except skate their best.


	20. My Dancing Day

**My Dancing Day**

There were a few drawbacks to being the leader at Nationals; you always skated last. It wasn't exactly easy on one's nerves at times. Nanao did her best to block everything else out. She had spent most of the free dance competition so far listening to her ipod. She and Shunsui wouldn't skate until the final flight of skaters, and they would be the last of the group to skate. Nanao was a little apprehensive. The team in second place was quite good, and the free dance was not quite as comfortable and natural for Nanao as the original dance was. But she did know the program by heart, and Nanao honestly wasn't too worried about it. She just had trouble with the waiting.

Finally, their warm up was announced. It was something of a relief to get the ice under her feet. It gave Nanao something else to focus on. She'd much rather concentrate on the free dance than what else was going on in the competition. Still, since they were skating last, she and Shunsui had quite a bit of time before they actually got to skate. Nanao fiddled with her necklace for nearly five minutes before finally deciding to walk herself through her part of the free dance. Anything to make the time pass more quickly.

Shunsui ended up joining her, and they were about finished when Jyuushiro came to warm them they had about two minutes before they needed to be out on the ice. Shunsui reached over and laced his fingers with hers, grinning at her. They approached the boards together and waited for their names to be announced so they could get out on the ice. When the announcer finally called them, the two skated out to the center of the ice and took up their starting positions.

The music began, and Nanao was the first to move. She tapped Shunsui on the shoulder and then started skating. Moments later Shunsui joined her. Interestingly enough, the idea of this program was Nanao approaching Shunsui and coaxing him to dance with her. And of course, Jyuushiro had chosen ABBA's Take a Chance On Me as their music. It wasn't exactly a traditional ice dance program, but it was quite a bit of fun to skate. Nanao wasn't entirely sure why Jyuu had chosen such an atypical program for them for their first season together, but it did make them stand out. And the audience seemed to like it.

Nanao was breathless by the time the program ended. They took their bows and headed for the kiss and cry area. She didn't realize how hard she was gripping Shunsui's hand as they waited for their scores until he shifted her grip slightly. It seemed to be taking much longer than usual for the judges to score them. Finally the marks were announced, and Nanao felt her jaw drop. They were tied for first place with the other couple. This year there would be co-champions at Nationals.


	21. Do You Want to Dance

**Do You Want to Dance**

Nanao was rather torn between elation and melancholy. The reason for this was clear. At least to her. On the one hand, she had just won Nationals in ice dance and been selected for the Olympic team. And Nanao didn't think she would be able to forget the way Shunsui had kissed her and then spun her in circles when they made the Olympic team. On the other hand, she had also heard what the commentators had to say about her win. They were calling it "a fluke" and "highly surprising" and were completely certain that Nanao and Shunsui were destined for Olympic failure.

She wasn't entirely sure what to believe. Nanao knew that the commentators were supposed to be experts, but they didn't know her or Shunsui. And it could just be because they had been blindsided by the couple's performance. Nanao and Shunsui really hadn't attracted that much media attention before now. Still, Nanao couldn't completely dismiss the comments. She and Shunsui were relatively new partners, and they would be going up against the best in the world. Whatever happened, it would be an extraordinary experience, and Nanao was trying not to let the commentators' dire predictions bring her down. She wasn't entirely successful about that, but she was trying.

At least she had one major distraction: trying to sort out her reaction to Shunsui kissing her. It had been a very brief kiss, but it still had Nanao reeling to some extent. What Nanao didn't know was if it meant something. It could have just been a spontaneous gesture of excitement and happiness; they had just made the Olympic team after all. Yes, Shunsui flirted with her and gave her pet names, but he flirted with most women. It didn't typically mean anything. What had surprised Nanao was the fact that she rather wanted it to. She would admit it, at least to herself, that she was very attracted to Shunsui Kyoraku. The idea that he might be interested in her too both thrilled her and scared her.

"You're fretting again, precious," Shunsui's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Let me guess. You watched the coverage of Nationals."

The two of them were waiting for the zamboni to finish resurfacing the ice before their practice session started. Jyuushiro was busy chatting with Retsu. Shunsui reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Ignore it. They always hate it when they get blindsided by the unpredictable. It's not our fault that they failed to take a good look at our previous history. Our scores over the season pretty much matched the other top couple's. They've just been around longer than we have. Now, come dance with me."

Then he grinned at her and pulled her to her feet. The zamboni had finished its work. Shunsui fiddled with the stereo before stepping onto the ice. As Nanao joined him, the opening strains of Dancing Queen began to play. Nanao couldn't help laughing and letting the music and her partner sweep her away, leaving her worries behind for now.


	22. I Could Have Danced All Night

**I Could Have Danced All Night**

The Olympics really were something else. Nanao had felt rather overwhelmed by everything from the start. She and Shunsui had arrived two days before the games began in order to get settled in. They had marched in the Opening Ceremonies and enjoyed the spectacular presentation. The figure skating competitions didn't begin until the second week, so Nanao filled the time with training and a little sightseeing. She and Shunsui had gotten into the habit of making day trips in their free time. They tended to go to odd and out of the way places in order to avoid most of the crowds and tourist. It was a rather different perspective, but Nanao enjoyed it.

Their training sessions were going quite well. Nanao found routine soothing, and so they helped her keep on an even keel to some extent. And they really were skating well. She and Shunsui seemed to have smoothed out most of the little errors they had found with their programs during Nationals, and Nanao was feeling very confident with the skating. The one part that did have her nervous was the compulsory dance for the Olympics was the Tango Romantica. Nanao was more comfortable with the Golden Waltz to tell the truth. She could skate the Tango Romantica though, and she could skate it well. It just didn't come to her as naturally as the waltz. But then not everything could be easy.

It was also interesting being around all the other athletes. Nanao shared a room with Rangiku in the Olympic Village which was an interesting experience in itself. They had shared hotel rooms before, but never for such a long period. Truthfully, the people Nanao interacted with the most were Shunsui and Jyuushiro, and sometimes the other ice dancers. Nanao was trying to avoid the hype and the stress that also came with the games. So far, she was doing pretty well. It also probably a good thing that she had plenty of things to fill her days with as she waited for the ice dance portion of the games to start. Otherwise she would be going more than a little crazy waiting.

Nanao did have some worries and doubts about the competition, but she didn't have much time to reflect on them. Nor did she really have much time to contemplate her attraction to Shunsui. She had noticed that he had developed some new habits in regards to her. When they went out on their day trips, Nanao often found herself holding his hand, and whenever they had any free time, he did seem to seek her out. It wasn't exactly proof positive that he was attracted to her, but they did have other things to focus on at the moment.

And they were going need that focus tomorrow when their portion of the competition started. They were only twenty-four hours from the compulsory dance now.


	23. Shall We Dance

**Shall We Dance**

In some random whim of fate, Nanao and Shunsui drew slots in the second flight of skaters for the compulsory dance. It meant that they wouldn't have too long to wait to skate, but it also meant that they would spend all night wondering what their final standing would be. Which probably accounted for the excess of nervous energy his partner was displaying. Tired of watching her pace, Shunsui pulled her into his arms and spun Nanao into a modified waltz. Neither of them had their skates on, and it was a good way to both warm up a little and get Nanao to relax.

She was calmer when they finished their impromptu dance, and the two of them got ready for their warm up. It wouldn't be too much longer until they skated. Once they were on the ice, Shunsui found that they both were more at ease. The warm up went well, and they would be the third pair to skate in their flight. When their names were called, Nanao smiled at him, and they stepped out onto ice together to take their places.

The music began, and Nanao's eyes met his. Then they began to dance. The Tango Romantica might not be their best compulsory dance, but Shunsui knew they skated it well. He could feel the rhythm of the music, and Nanao responded perfectly to each move he made. Together they made the two circuits of the rink before finishing the program with the final spin. There was thunderous applause as they took their bows. Nanao held tightly to his hand as they made their way to the kiss and cry area.

It did not take the judges long to score them, and Shunsui was not surprised by their first place standing. They had the highest score so far, and one that would match most of the top teams. Now they just had wait to see how the rest of the teams did, and Shunsui would have to make sure his partner didn't go crazy while they waited. That was his main concern. Thankfully, it seemed Jyuushiro had also considered this possibility. Once they had gotten backstage in the arena, he had shoved a bag into Shunsui's hands.

It had been filled with a snack, a deck of cards, a couple paperbacks, and a portable radio. It wasn't long before they actually attracted a few other people, both skaters and coaches, and had a poker game going. Nanao was winning hands down. She had one amazing poker face. And the game was definitely keeping her mind off of the other skaters and their scores. When there was a break about half way through the competition to resurface the ice, they checked in with Jyuu who was keeping tracking of everything for them. They were still in first place.

To Shunsui's utter surprise, Nanao ended up dozing off leaning against his shoulder before the competition was over. He kissed her forehead and shook her awake when the final results came in. They were in second place, and only one point away from first.


	24. But You Learn to Love at the Fais Do Do

**But You Learn To Love At The Fais Do Do**

Nanao was more than ready to get out on the ice. The original dance was her favorite, and they were so close to the top of the podium. While she might have gone into this season without much ambition, she knew now that she could, that they could win a medal. At the very least, she wanted to skate her absolute best at the Olympics, and she knew that was pretty damn good at this point. She might not have been an ice dancer long, but Nanao had come to realize that she and Shunsui made one hell of a pair.

She got a little intimidated once they got to the skating arena, but Shunsui started teasing her and Nanao was too busy smacking him on the shoulder to be worried. Even though she was used to the whole competition routine, there was something special about tonight. Nanao would admit that she was emotionally all over the place really while they wait. However, once she took up place on the ice, everything seemed to focus and crystallize. She met Shunsui's eyes, his gaze warm and supportive, and when the music started, she winked at him and started to skate.

They had skated this program hundreds of times at this point, but there was something special about tonight. Not only was the skate spot on and nearly perfect, Nanao felt unexpectedly exhilarated as she skated. The flirting and interplay between herself and Shunsui felt far more intense than usual, and she literally was not aware of anything besides the two of them as they skated. Oh, Nanao knew there was an audience and judges out there, but they hardly made any impression on her.

And she was completely breathless when she stopped in the final position. Shunsui was too. The applause was absolutely thunderous. Shunsui swept her up in a tight hug before they took their bows. Nanao still hadn't caught her breath when they reached the kiss and cry area. Jyuushiro pressed a water bottle into her hands as she took a seat. Her hands were shaking when she opened it. The water almost went down the wrong way when their score was announced. It was the highest score they had every gotten in the original dance, and it put them in the lead by almost ten points. There were two more pairs to skate, and Nanao couldn't bring herself not to watch from the sidelines.

Both of the teams were good. The first one surpassed Shunsui and Nanao by half a point in their total score. The second one finished nearly four points behind them though. They were still in second place. Nanao bit her lip. Tomorrow would decide things once and for all.


	25. Take a Chance on Me

**Take a Chance On Me**

It was probably a good thing that Nanao had not been watching the TV this week. It would probably have made her much more nervous. Shunsui hadn't actually been watching it either. But Jyuu had been keeping him informed. About half the commentators had taken up the cause of the underdogs as he and Nanao were being considered while the other half predicted that the best they would was silver, probably bronze. Shunsui doubted that. Especially after last night's skate. He was fairly certain that it had been the best skate of his life so far.

Oddly enough, it was Nanao keeping him calm tonight. In so many ways, this was a dream come true for Shunsui. He had wanted to skate in the Olympics since he had been a teenager. And to be so close to a gold medal was indescribable. Even if they didn't win, it would have been worth it to skate here with the best partner he had ever hand and his best friend coaching him. Nanao and Jyuu really made this for him. The experience was definitely worth it.

He and Nanao were once again the middle skaters in the final flight. There was quite a bit of applause as they took the ice. The two of them seemed to have attracted a number of fans here. The music started, and Shunsui couldn't help but thinking that it was really appropriate for them. He had taken a chance when he had decided he wanted Nanao for his partner, and it had paid off. Shunsui was so proud of her. She had gone from being shy and timid to this confident young woman who skated with amazing talent and passion. Well, that talent and passion had been there to start with, but now everyone could see it.

The program ended up with their faces inches way from one another. Nanao's eyes were bright with happiness and pride. Shunsui grinned back and kissed her nose. She blushed. They took their bows and skated over to the kiss and cry. Jyuu hugged them both, grinning like mad. It was clear to see how he felt they had done. The crowded roared with applause when their scores were announced and Shunsui and Nanao moved into first place with a twelve point lead on any of the previous ice dancers.

The wait while the last two pairs of ice dancers skated was nearly unbearable. Shunsui was kept from pacing only after Nanao pushed him into a chair and sat on his lap. That was actually quite delightful, and Shunsui turned his attention to flustering his partner. She was absolutely adorable when she blushed. But when the last couple's marks were announced, Shunsui fell silent as he listened. Then his eyes went wide. Sitting on his lap, Nanao actually squeaked. She met his eyes with a delighted smile, and then Nanao bit her lip. The next thing Shunsui knew, she was kissing him. They had won gold.


	26. Save the Last Dance For Me

**Save the Last Dance For Me**

Nanao attempted to adjust her hair ornament for the third time.

"Here," Shunsui's hands covered her own as he fixed in place.

"Thanks."

They were just about skate their exhibition piece. Tonight was the exhibition gala and tomorrow was the last day of the Olympics. Nanao was still partly in a state of disbelief. They were the new Olympic champions in ice dancing. She had gone from being a struggling ladies skater to one of best ice dancers in the world. In the course of one night, Nanao had won a gold medal at her first Olympics and she had acquired a boyfriend. Her impromptu kiss when they had won the gold had apparently convinced Shunsui that she wasn't going to run out on him if he asked her out.

Shunsui cupped her face in his hands. "Thank you, precious."

Nanao blinked. "What for?"

He grinned and kissed her. "For agreeing to dance with me."

She tilted her head to the side, "Shouldn't I be thanking you for asking me to dance?"

Their names were called by the announcer. Shunsui took her hand and kissed her again. "Maybe we're even."

Together they stepped out onto the ice once again. The music started to play, and they began to dance. This might be their last dance at the Olympic Games, but Nanao doubted it would the last time they danced. They would dancing together for a long time in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested, the music for Shunsui and Nanao ice dance programs are below:
> 
> Compulsory Dance - Golden Waltz: Neville's Waltz from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Soundtrack
> 
> Compulsory Dance - Tango Romantica : Mary and Steve's Tango from The Wedding Planner Soundtrack
> 
> Original Dance - Down at the Twist and Shout by Mary Chapin Carpenter and BeauSoleil
> 
> Free Dance - Take a Chance on Me from the Mamma Mia Soundtrack
> 
> Exhibition Dance: Let's Never Stop Falling in Love by Pink Martini


End file.
